Answer:
When President Obama stated, "Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency," he meant that his cabinet's policies will be based strictly on regulations.
Explanation:
The presidency of Barack Obama began at noon on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, after he had sworn in as the forty-fourth president of the United States during a ceremony held at the United States Capitol. It culminated at noon on Friday, January 20, 2017, when President-elect Donald J. Trump assumed the presidency.
As president, Obama embarked on policies to achieve stabilize the US economy after the financial crisis hit in 2008, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, an economic stimulus package of around 800,000 million. This law, together with those approved by the Federal Reserve as well as the rescue to the automobile sector, was vital in containing the crisis. In the same way, its Administration promoted the reform of the banking and financial sector (through the Dodd-Frank Act), which tried to curb the banking excesses and a greater protection to the consumers in the face of the crisis. In spite of the good economic results (sustained GDP growth of an average of 2.1 points per year, unemployment below 5%), these have not been reversed in the majority of the citizens: stagnant salaries and low rates of reduction of poverty have been key elements of the popular frustration towards Obama, elements well used by his successor Donald Trump in his victory in the elections of November 2016.